X.X.X
by insert witty
Summary: Matt has been missing for months. Now, he suddenly bumps into Tai on the street, while stealing food. What happened to Matt and who are the men chasing him? Will Tai figure it out, and even more important; will he be able to help Matt? (Will be a Taito!)
1. Snatch'n'Run

A/N: READ THIS BEFORE YOU START READING THE STORY!!! I just wanna say to you that I need help. I can't decide which coupling this will be! I just keep thinking: "Sorato or Taito? Taito or Sorato?"

I've got a plot-idea for both of them and I'm asking you *I'm pointing right at _you_, reader* to decide, simply by writing your favourite of the two in you review.  
Okay? 

Let's get on with the story, then…

Disclaimer: I own Digimon. (Nah, just kidding, I don't own 'em.)

**XXX **by ThatGirl

~**chapter one**~

"Yuck" a blond teen groaned as he examined the mouldy, rotten fruit in his hand. He had learnt not to be picky when it came to food over the last couple of months, but this apple was completely uneatable.

Sighing, the boy threw the apple over his shoulder and started to dig in the box after something else to eat. He really was hungry.

Wandering around in the back streets of Odaiba, trying not to be noticed by _them_, wasn't the very most glamorous lifestyle one could have. He had to be careful and never off guard.

But for the moment, he just needed to find some food. And even though he hated to steal it, he had no other choice but to starve. And to starve wasn't really an option.

The blonde slammed the box, which he used to keep foodstuff and supplies in, shut, annoyed and frustrated.

Here, in the dark, grimy alleys between the tall buildings, the sun's rays never touched the asphalted ground and thus, the teenage runaway felt rather safe. _They_ wouldn't find him as easily here either.

That was why he was so reluctant in going out to the lively, sunbathing avenues and marketplaces, where he more than often got his food from.

The young man knew the back-streets perfectly and he quickly made his way to a passageway that would lead him directly to a square where many merchantmen sold fruit, fish and many other things that could come in handy for the boy.

Trying to fit in the crowd of people, he wished that his dirty clothes were cleaner and casually walked out of the dark alley, enjoying the wonderful sensation of the warm autumn sunbeams on his face for a few moments.

His stomach made strange noises to let him know how hungry it was when the sweet scent of delicious groceries reached his nostrils. The teen licked his lips, his azure eyes falling on whatever mouth-watering thing he saw.

Tensing his muscles, he nonchalantly approached a fruit-stall.

"Delicious grapes! Apples, apples! Fresh fruit!" the chubby vendor yelled cheerfully, trying to draw attention. 

The blond boy was preparing himself to snatch and run.

He coolly got closer and closer to the stall. Just one more step…

*Snatch!*

The merchant turned around, almost as in slow motion. His eyes widened and he stretched out a hand, pointing right towards the youngster: "Thief!"

*And run!*

The teenage boy rapidly got his feet moving, holding on to the fruits under his sweater securely.

Looking behind his back, he saw another stall, which sold grilled meat.

It had been a very long time since he had had anything that wasn't vegetables… And he could make it…

He only hesitated a split second.

Taking the chance and making an abrupt turn, he sprinted back towards the meat-stall and grabbed a warm newly grilled beef and then ran off in the original direction, back into the alley he had come from in the first place again.

"Hey you!" a young man's voice called.

_Oh shit_, the first boy thought. He recognised that voice. The only question was if the other boy would recognise him.

Sending a quick glance over his shoulder, the teenager saw that the other wild-haired boy was following him, and he sped up his pace.  
Even though the fair-haired kid was fast, he wasn't on top because he hadn't had very much to eat nor drink the last months. A good night's sleep was for him, considered a luxury.

Therefore, his soccer-playing pursuer was catching up on him pretty fast.

The blue-eyed boy drew sharp, panting breaths, feeling himself weaken as he continued running into the dark back streets.  The painful hunger in his stomach burned and his head spun.

Not really knowing where he was going anymore, he led the brown-haired boy behind him further into the confusing labyrinth between the blocks.

Stubbornly clutching the food in his arms, he steered his tired feet to the right. He looked up and realized the mistake.

A dead end.

The teen stopped hastily, not wanting to crash into the thick brick wall before him.

The second after, his follower bumped into him, sending him falling to the hard ground.

Harsh hands grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at the other young man.  
_Now, he'll surely recognise me_, the blond teenager thought.

"M-Matt?" The wild-haired boy let go of him, shocked.

Matt didn't answer. It really had been some time since he had seen his old best friend. He had avoided any contact with his family and friends; it could put them into danger.

"Matt" Tai repeated, still a bit stunned by the sudden surprise of seeing his friend. Helping the pale young man to his feet, Tai finally snapped out of the shock enough to say something else. "Where have you been?" And one question led to another... "What happened? Why didn't you come home? Are you okay?"

Tai looked at Matt and noticed how much weight he had lost.

"C'mon, I'll get you home." Tai grabbed Matt's hand and before the blonde had the chance to resist, he had dragged him through the alleyways toward the open streets.

That was when he saw them.

_Them!_

They stood by a black, expensive-looking car, their dark sunglasses matching their grey suits and reflecting the sunlight. One of them, a tall guy who looked very strong, stood smoking a long, brown cigar, while the other one simply sat in the front seat, the car-door open, looking about.

In an instant, Matt came to his senses, a sudden stab of fear cutting through him. He stopped walking and jerked back into the alley, pulling Tai with him, but it was too late; the scrawny man in the car shouted something and slammed the car-door shut.

"Shitshitshit" Matt hissed under his breath. He was on familiar terms with both of the men.

The tough looking guy, agent Imai, flung the cigar into a pile of brown, dry leafs, obviously not bothering if they went on fire.

"Matt!?" Tai looked from Matt who had taken off back into the dark passageways, to the man running after him. Deciding not to let his best friend disappear out of his life once again, he got his legs moving and ran after him.

He distantly heard the black car's engine roar to life as the other agent drove away. To where, Tai didn't care.

Matt and Imai was already far off into the maze of shadowy pathways, but Tai could still hear their footsteps, so he simply trusted his ears and followed those sounds.

Farther and farther they ran. Then, suddenly, the chaotic rattling-like noise of a couple of barrels or rubbish bins falling and crashing to the ground rolled between the buildings.

Instinctively, Tai stiffened a bit as soon as the booming racket reached his ears. But he didn't stop running for that.

When he turned right the last time and finally spotted his friend and the agent, it wasn't in the way he had hoped for. 

Matt lay on the ground, blood from his nose trickling its way down his face. He had probably bumped into those barrels, Tai thought, referring to the metal barrels he had heard before and which also lay on the hard ground.

Imai, the agent, stood pointing some kind of weapon towards the defenceless boy before him. A gun!

Tai watched as in slow-motion as Imai's finger pulled the trigger…

Before he knew it himself, Tai had thrown himself on Imai, sending the gun out of his hand and down on the asphalt. 

Tai's launch had caught the agent by surprise and the big man lost his balance. He hit the ground hard, the teenager still on him, smacking his head into the brick wall beside him. That knocked him out cold.

"Matt", Tai called, getting off Imai and standing up, "Are you okay, man?"

Matt nodded his reply. Then Tai saw the gun Imai had pointed at him.

"What the…" he started, "What kind of gun is that?"

The gun was in grey and white polyamide and it looked very high-tech. Almost futuristic.

"An ordinary one", Matt said, "It wouldn't have killed me. Just anaesthetise me." he continued, almost sounding annoyed.

"Shouldn't you be thanking me?" 

"Tai, you don't know what you've done!" Matt yelled.

"What?"

"Now they'll think you know something and come after you too. They _need_ me, but I don't know what they'll do to you!"

"Matt! Stop screaming! What is this all about?"

Matt sighed.

"Come with me. We can't stay here. I'll tell you more when we're in a safe place." With that, he started walking away and Tai understood that he should follow.

After a while of quiet walking, the two reached another dead end. Matt stopped and bent down to open a box, in which he put the beef and the few apples he hadn't dropped while running. After that, he sat down.

"Umm…Is this it?" Tai asked, looking about.

It was nothing but a plain, ordinary cul-de-sac in a warren of many others in the soiled back-streets of Odaiba.

"Yeah", Matt tossed Tai an apple and then took a bite of one too. Tai waited for Matt to chew and swallow.

"Sooo… what happened to you? I mean, you've been gone for about two or three months"

Matt turned his head away. When his answer finally came, his voice was thick and a bit strangled.

"I guess you have to know now, huh", he said.

Tai didn't answer.

Matt turned and faced his friend again and Tai was surprised to see tears stain his cheeks.

The wild-haired teen sat down beside him and Matt angrily tried to wipe the crystal clear tears away.

He then opened his mouth and started to tell his story…

What happened to Matt? Why does those agents need him? I promise, you'll find out in the upcoming chapter…

Confusing, ne? Please review this and don't forget to vote; Sorato of Taito? Taito or Sorato? 

/ThatGirl^_^ 


	2. Flashbacks

A/N: I have to start with apologizing to all the people who have waited and waited for the continuation of this. I've had many tests in school, loads of stuff have been going on in my life, and I just got a 'dry mind' and couldn't write anything, though I managed to press out one or two chapters of Fallin' To Pieces for ya… Well, I've scraped together enough inspiration to type this chapter out now, at least!^_^

And, _whoa_, I never thought I'd get so many reviews! Thank you, thank you, to:

i dunno, sarah, Chicquila, Ranma_Lunatic, emerald, thorne, ColourBlind, Claire, Saya the Demoness, ishida86, J, mimi, takeru's babe, Ying-Fa, Silver Eagle, titangirl, Teti, magenta, evi, dai, Mistress Kaikari, WildfireFriendship, Unicorn*angel, Sora's twin, Ice'is Blue, kittykoko, Crest_of_the_Clow, Annie, JuliaChildOfNight (det gör det väl inte..! *vill fortfarande läsa något som du har skrivit* :P ), MeShelly, mattrina, Kari Ishikawa, mischy101, Hope Dragonfire, Kodachrome, Eve, kouchi, SoLeo, Saria-the-green-haired, Firefly's Light, yamatoforever, kurokasaineko, zara, RyoTay Moy, CSMars, joyeuse femme en pain d'epices, Sapphire Goddess, D MuSHRooM PriNCeSS, Angel Karora, FC6, waitful but hopeful, tora-chan, Wildfire's Flame, Yuki-chan, Emily, matt4ever, ?, tatele, Mirrored, Linnda, and Bubble Bitch. 

Aaaand, I'm glad (or sad for the fans who didn't vote for this coupling…-_-) to present the "winner-coupling": TAITO!

Okay, so now all of you out there know that this will be a taito. I hope you'll enjoy the next of the story as well.

In this particular chapter there'll be a lot of flashbacks, but don't worry; I've marked them well, so that you won't get lost. I just needed a good way to tell you what had happened to Matt the last couple of months. Thoughts are in written in _italics_

Very well then^_^  On with the story!

**XXX **by ThatGirl

~**chapter two**~

Matt opened his mouth and started to tell his story…

"You know I've always been smart, Tai. But I never thought that it was something _special_ about it…" he started, "You remember that day, the last day you saw me?"

Tai nodded; how could he forget? Matt had always held a special place in his heart, and it had hurt him terribly when the he had disappeared out of his life without as much as a trace.

{~'*Flashback*'~}

  
Matt's head lied limply in his arms, which rested on the table before him. Around him, the chatter and giggles of the other students seemed to become louder and louder by every second.

_School and headaches just doesn't mix_, he thought, sighing deeply but not making the slightest effort to lift his head.

"Hey, Matt. Matt!" Matt felt Tai nudge his arm and before he knew it himself, his left hand had shot out, smacking Tai's away. Tai yelped, due to pure surprise.

"Sorry", Matt mumbled, his face blushing. Not that Tai could see that anyway since it still was well hidden in his arms.

"It's alright." Tai said.

Then the bell rang, a long, loud and piercing sound, declaring that their last lesson of the day was over.

Matt groaned and sat up: "Finally"

"You okay, man?" Tai asked suddenly, bending down to take a closer look at his friend.

"I'm fine, just a headache."  
"Maybe you should go to the nurse of something… You've been having a lot of headaches over the past weeks…" Tai sounded concerned, but resisted the urge to lay a gentle hand on the blond boy's forehead.

"No, I'm fine. One pill and I'll be well again."

Tai, knowing better than to argue with Matt, said nothing.

  
{~'*End of flashback*'~}

"What, you mean that there was something strange with those headaches?" Tai wondered, looking at the teen before him. The tears had stopped falling now, but that didn't mean that his azure eyes were any happier.

"At least that's what I think." Matt said. "But it was later that day, the whole thing really started"

{~'*Flashback*'~}

He had just said goodbye to Tai and was on his way over to the Takaishi apartment. Tk and he were going to the movies. In view of the fact that they didn't get to see each other very often, none of the two would miss their 'brother-days' for the world.

It was one of those perfect Friday nights in the city, the sun glimmering in the clear blue sky and some kids out playing soccer in the park.

Considering for a moment if he should take the bus instead of walking, Matt decided to do the latter.  
Since Tk and his mother lived on the other side of the river that ran straight through Odaiba, he'd have to cross the bridge. Not that that was a bad thing though, no, Matt liked walking over that long bridge, the fresh wind in his hair.

Matt soon reached the substantial viaduct.

Thinking about almost anything in his life, friends, family, school… maybe-love… he promenaded, sometimes looking down on the water beneath or just toying with the tickets to the movie, which lay in his pocket.

Then a black, shiny car suddenly drove up behind him.

Matt stopped, looking back at it.

One of the men inside opened the car door, stepping out. He was very tall, taller than Matt by far, and one could easily tell that this guy had spent much time of his life in the gym.

The man flung his cigar over the banister of the bridge, down in the water underneath.

"Hello", he said in his dark voice, "Are you by any chances Yamato Ishida?"

"Yeah, who are you?" Matt answered, not knowing that with that simple 'yeah', he had created a great deal of trouble for himself in the future.

"Oh, good. My name is mr Imai." Something in his voice sent shivers down Matt's spine, "Would you like to step in the car, please?"

"Uh, no," Matt stated, trying to keep his calm.

"Why, we just want to talk to you" Imai took a step closer and Matt backed away a bit. "C'mon, you don't have to be afraid of little me," Imai gave up a small, ironic laugh, taking yet another step forward.

He then lunged at Matt, who yelped by surprise, finally allowing the panic to come.

That was when the strange thing happened.

Just as Imai's hands gripped Matt's shoulders, it felt like if something exploded. It didn't hurt, but the strange force caused Imai's hands to fly backwards, away from Matt.

"Why, you little…" Imai growled and stretched out his fingers, making them crack slightly. "Don't give me that crap"

The large man slapped him over the face, almost sending him to the ground. Before Matt had the time to neither think nor act, Imai had struck him again.  
With his head spinning and his cheeks burning, Matt was thrown ruthlessly into he car. The door slammed shut behind him and then he felt something sting in his upper arm.

A needle, Matt guessed.

His vision blurred, an extreme tiredness sweeping over him in an instant. Feeling how the car started moving, Matt lost consciousness and floated away into a synthetic sleep.

{~'*End of flashback*'~}

"I-I mean, I don't really know what that _force_ was that caused Imai's hands to fly off me, but I know that it was I who caused it. I felt it" Matt said, looking straight into Tai's eyes.

"Matt… I mean…" Tai broke the stare.

"You think I'm a nutcase." Matt said calmly, but Tai noticed the flicker of hurt in his voice.

"No, no that's not what I mean, it's just that-"  
"What, Taichi?"  
Tai cringed. Matt rarely used his full name.

"Why would I lie about anything like this?" Matt asked, his gaze still as strong as ever.

After a while, Tai heaved a sigh. "I dunno", he said.

"Even If you don't believe me, Tai, I am telling the truth."

A long and awkward silence settled.

The sky was beginning to darken as the sun slowly fell and all of the shadows grew eerily big.

"Don't you have a roof to sleep under?" Tai questioned, just to break the silence.

"No"

"Okay…Umm…" Tai scratched his head sheepishly. "You gonna tell me more?"

Matt sent him a quick glance, then nodded: "Sure… I don't remember anything about the ride there, but when I woke up, I was in this big, big room…"

{~'*Flashback*'~}

A weak groan was heard from the floor in the perfectly square room.

Still groggy, Matt pulled himself off the floor, steadying himself against a wall. He was surprised to notice that the wall was clad in a light grey mattress. As he looked around, he saw that it was the same with all of the walls. The cold floor was in the same dull colour.

"Hello?" Matt called, not really expecting an answer. "HELLO!?"

He felt how the panic rose inside of him. He shouted again, and started to walk around in the room.

But it looked alike in every direction and it made Matt's already dizzy head spin.

He was trapped…

Trapped… there was nowhere to go or run or hide…

Matt banged his fists into the mattresses on the walls.

"Let me out!"

"No." a calm voice said in a fatter-of-fact tone that scared him half to death. The voice didn't seem to come from any course. It was just there, all around him. But he could tell that it came from a speaker, somewhere.

The voice chuckled. "Aww… don't fear me," it mocked.

"Shut up! Shut up and… and let me out of here!"

"No," the voice said again. In the same second, a door, well hidden in the mattresses, opened in a corner of the room and in came two men.

Matt recognised one of them, Imai, but the other one, he had never seen before.

He was short and wiry, a few grey strands of hair sticking out by the other black bangs.

"I believe you have already met agent Imai, here," the man said. It was the same voice as in the speakers! "I am agent Ozaki"

"What do you want with me? I haven't done anything," Matt enquired, clenching his hands into fists again.

"Oh, my dear boy," Ozaki laughed to himself, and then snapped his fingers. "Imai,"

The large man left the room, but returned quickly again, a big and thick envelope under his arm. He opened it and gave the papers to Ozaki, who obviously was the superior of the two. 

"Thank you," Ozaki said, eyeing through the papers. "You see, Yamato Ishida, Imai and I took the freedom to scan you while you were still unconscious."

Ozaki held out two papers to Matt. The blond teen looked at him suspiciously and then quickly took the papers.

He was surprised to see what was on them; they looked like x-ray pictures. 'Scan', had Ozaki phrased it. The photographs were a scan of two heads.

"Take a look at picture number one." Ozaki pointed at one of the papers.

Matt did so. That photo was of one of the heads, the brain being the focus of it. In the brain, there were a few small light-dots. Matt saw from Ozaki to Imai, then to Ozaki again, confused.

"Now, take a look on the other picture, number two."

As Matt did, he noticed a major difference. Instead of just a few small light-dots, these dots were not only very much bigger, but also so many more.

"Wh-What is this?" Matt had a bad feeling about this.

"Hush! Do not speak when I do!" Ozaki yelled, his calm replaced with a sudden fury. After that, as fast as the outburst had come, it was gone, only leaving that _calm_ behind it. Ozaki cleared his throat.

"As I was about to say… Do you see the dots? Good. Those represent the brain-activity."

"But-" Matt started but was cut off by a highly annoyed glare from Ozaki.

"Do you see any difference between the brain-activity of these two pictures, Yamato?" 

Matt nodded quietly.

"Now, the picture with the least activity is the average human being. Can you guess who that on the other picture is?"

Despite the fact that he knew what the answer probably was going to be, Matt just shook his head.

"Aww… Come on, for being such a smart lad, you do seem a bit retarded." Ozaki sneered and Imai laughed quietly. "It's you."

{~'*End of flashback*'~}

"What, you're some kind of genius, then?" Tai wondered out loud.

"No, it's not like that. It's hard to explain… It's like… I just use my brain more. In a way that not many other's can. It's not that I have a super-brain or anything, I… just know how to use it in a way that not many other's can," Matt stopped, noticing that he was repeating himself. 

"There were others there as well?"

"Yeah. A few," Matt drew a shaky breath. "They, the agents, kept us locked up in small spaces, like cages, during the nights. Each person had their own two _guardians_, as they so nicely put it, which kept charge of the tests. They experimented and examined us. Mine were Imai and Ozaki."

His lower lip trembling, Matt's eyes got an expression of a lost little kid on the urge of crying.

Tai felt his heart melt and lay and a gentle hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Shh… It's okay, Yama… I believe you. You don't have to finish", he said softly, a bit shocked of the warm feeling he got inside of him. _Sheesh, Tai! What is with you?_, he thought, pulling his hand back.

"No, I think it's good for you to know… As I said, my *guardians* were Imai and Ozaki. The tests… at first they were just ordinary, calm tests, bit then… They changed."

{~'*Flashback*'~}

Harsh hands gripped his shoulders, arms and legs and he couldn't get himself free no matter how much he struggled.

Matt felt how Imai easily carried him towards a large, round tub.

The circle-formed patches that had been fixed on his forehead felt strange and unnatural against the skin. The patched were coupled with thin cords, which led to a peculiar looking machine. There was some strange tension running through the cords, somewhat prickling his brow.  
Matt felt how the panic in his body built up. 

"No!" he wanted to scream, but not a sound escaped his strained throat.

Then, if only for one confused tick, he was in the air, falling.

"Splash!" Water sprayed up and over the tub's silver coloured border.

*Cold*

That was the only thing Matt could focus on.

A horrible, painful and soaked iciness.

The tension in the patches on his forehead increased, buzzing slightly and almost vibrating.

He gasped for air, but he was still underwater and only managed to choke in more of the freezing liquid.  
Ice cubes floated around, Matt could distantly feel them rub against his skin, as he squirmed and kicked, trying to get his head above the water.

Finally, he managed to get on the right side and break the surface. 

Gasping and coughing, he spat out some of the water he had swallowed, and then tried to get out of the tub.

Instantly, Imai's strong hands pushed Matt's trembling body back down underwater, making him ingest even more of the liquid.

Ozaki, who had been standing by the atypical machine, raised a hand: "Stop"

Imai backed away.

Sending an almost amused glance at the shivering form of Matt, Ozaki ripped of a long piece of paper from the machine that it had printed out.

He looked at the paper, then at Matt and then at the paper again, the same amused expression on his face. Imai just stood there beside him, unmoving and like a tall statue of stone. 

Matt crawled out of the tub, landing on the floor with a soaked thud. He stayed like that, curled up into a small ball, shivering and breathing in short puffs, trying to maintain some warmth.

Not even noticing that the agents were walking out, the door slammed shut, leaving him cold and alone on the hard floor.

{~'*End of flashback*'~}

Matt's head hung low in a desperate try to hide the silent tears rolling down his cheeks. Many other memories of the horrible _tests_ flashed by in his mind. It hurt to talk about them, it hurt to even _think_ about them, but he felt that Tai had to know, now that he was involved in the whole mess too. 

Then he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Resisting the urge to look up, he smiled. At least, he wasn't all by himself now.

Tai quietly caressed his friend's shoulder. He had missed him so much and had been so worried… but this whole story? Was it really the truth? Tai wanted to believe him, but he had to admit it; it was rather hard.

"Many even _died_ during those tests", Matt said, his voice barely a frail whisper. A small whimper escaped his throat, and before Tai even knew what he did himself, he wrapped his arms tightly around the other teen, just wanting to comfort him.

About then, it was like if a barrier broke inside of Matt and he just leaned limply into Tai's embrace, his entire body trembling with heart-raking sobs.

Incoherent words were mixed with crying hiccups, until Tai almost couldn't make out what the boy was saying.

"Shh…" he soothed, softly rubbing Matt's back and rocking him back and forth, just as he had done with Kari when she was younger.   
"Th-There was a girl there too… and she used to sing to me after they had tossed me back inside of that cage-like thing they kept me in…"Matt began after a while again, his voice muffled by Tai's shirt. "When her agents did tests on her, I sang and talked to her too, just to soothe her as she had done for me… She was my only friend there," Tai felt a small pang of jealousy in his chest for a second. "T-Tai… she's still there… I couldn't take her with me when I escaped…I… couldn't…"

Once again, tears began streaming down Matt's cheeks.

"Is that why they're after you?" Tai asked.

"Yeah," Matt sniffed, "They don't want anyone else to know about me… Or them. That's why I can't go back… and why you can't either. The moment you saw me, you were doomed…"

"So you ran?" Tai felt the other boy's head nod slightly against his chest. He didn't quite know what to say to him. "I-I'm sorry, Matt… I guess… that if it hadn't been for me, those agents wouldn't have seen you…"  
"Don't blame yourself. There's nothing that can be done about that now, anyway…" That came out a bit harsher than Matt had meant. But he just couldn't let himself let go of the protecting barrier he had built up. He couldn't and he wouldn't. At least not now.

 He sat up, wiped the last tears away from his cheeks and then looked at Tai, who stayed put, but couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the loss of Matt's warm body in his arms.

Matt fought hard to get his feelings in control, and due to the months of training, he won the battle quickly. No more tears streamed down from his eyes, though they were still red and swollen. Sniffing and rubbing them with his hands, he curled up into a little ball in the opposite corner of Tai in the blind alley, wrapped his arms around himself to maintain some of the warmth he had in his body and then finally relaxed a bit. He felt he wanted to get some sleep. A small voice in the back of his head told him he was going to need all of the energy he could get soon. 

"Try to sleep some, Tai." Matt said when he saw that his friend was shifting uncomfortably on the dirty ground in the other corner.

"Okay. Sure…" Tai answered distractedly, wrapping his arms around his knees in the same way Matt had done. After a few moments of sitting that way, he lay down instead, but quickly rolled over on the other side. He didn't stay that way for long, though. Only after less than one minute, he was changing sides to lie on another time.

"Stop turning…" Matt complained.

"Sorry," Tai said sheepishly. But he couldn't get over the fact that the asphalt was all but the warm bed he was used to. This was hard, uncomfortable and most of all: it was freezing. Tai didn't wear more than a sweatshirt over his arms and chest and it was an early autumn night. He shifted again, trying to get his hands inside of the sweatshirt to warm them.

"Tai," Matt's voice was annoyed.

"Sorry," Tai repeated. He resisted the urge to turn over one more time. "It's cold," he said to Matt.

"I know,"

Tai bit his lip. "Mind if I move closer to you? For the warmth, I mean."

He heard a quiet sigh and was surprised to hear, "Sure. Whatever."

Tai got up and went to Matt's side, sat down and then hesitantly wrapped his arms around the blond teen. After a minute or two, he felt more comfortable with the embrace and tightened his grip around Matt slightly, leaning his head on him. 

"Thanks,"

Matt's body was tense and he tried to focus on relaxing. He felt small butterflies tickle the inside of his stomach and a faint blush spread across his cheeks.  

_Strange_, he thought. Heat from Tai's body warmed him and he unconsciously snuggled closer. He had to admit it. He liked having another person close. Or maybe it was just Tai he liked having this close? At least he knew one thing for sure; this was certainly better than sleeping alone.

Tai blinked groggily as he stirred. He was lying on the ground with his face turned so that he could see the sky. If the city lights hadn't been so many, he probably would have seen the small, bright stars twinkling in the dark velvet.

Something shifted in his arms and Tai looked down. The blonde hair reflected in the dim streetlights as he shifted again, pressing his face closer against Tai's chest. Matt looked so frail when he slept. So innocent and perfectly pure…

Then faint footsteps were heard. Tai didn't care about them that much, but they grew louder, as if the one or ones they belonged to were drawing nearer.  
Tai cautiously sat up, careful not to awaken Matt and not to make a single sound. He was unusually aware of his breaths and it felt like if his heartbeats made more noise than his old music-class had done when they had been supposed to learn how to play drums. 

A ray of artificial light fell on the wall beside them, narrowly missing Tai's shoulder. The one holding the flashlight stopped in his tracks for a moment and Tai held his breath. The unknown person scanned the area, but he didn't notice the two boys in the corner of the cul-de-sac. He turned around a bit reluctantly but then finally left. Tai exhaled. 

But only a split second later, his breath was caught in his throat again:

"Imai!" a cold voice that made shivers run down his back called, twisted between antagonism and that sort of bizarre amusement that could only been found in a hunter's mind. "Come here. I've found something."

A/N: Oki, that's all for now… What did you think? Good, bad? *hopes for the first one* Please review! 


	3. Caught

The disclaimer is in the first chapter…^_^ 

A/N: Oh, God… I guess I did it again, didn't I… I'm so sorry for not updating in another eternity! I guess I won't try to make another promise about trying to be quicker with the next chapter this time. Though of course I **will not** be lazy about it. Maybe I just need time? I have some kind of block on this fic, but well, something that I can promise, is that I will continue writing this until it's done, okay? I won't abandon it ever. :)  And sorry about the "going back and forth" about deciding when to update too… I hope you can forgive me! ^_^

And thank you, thank you, thank you for the absolutely wonderful reviews! I still can't believe I got so many…:) 

Thank you so much to: Soleo, RyoTay Moi, ColourBlind, LiCat (jag gjorde mitt bästa…^_^ fast det tog lite tid…), Light^-^, secretshadow, Daisuke Mad, zara, The_SODU, tora-chan, Bouzi Neo, Ami Angel, Wildfire's Flame, WildfireFriendship, evi (nope, no hentai^^ lol), Crysie*Aka Sapphire Goddess, silke, Triple P, joyeuse femme en pain d'epices (sorry… I kind of did take forever to update again, didn't I..?), Kodachrome, yamatoforever, Jenihepen, jenna, Rizzo-the-Rat, White Lily, JammyB, Yuki-chan, and Anacondra17!

**X.X.X** by ThatGirl

**~chapter three~**

The artificial light of a torch shone on a black box in Ozaki's hand. He opened it and threw the cover on the asphalted ground.  
"This is without question our boy, Imai." the wiry man said, eyeing through the box's contents. He held up a paper, released the box and let it fall to the ground, making the other stuff that had been in it, a few apples and a pen, roll out in the dirt of the ground.

"What is it?" Imai asked, coming up behind the other man.

"The bit of information he managed to steal." Ozaki handed over the document to Imai. "It's not much, but it's enough."

"Nobody would believe him."

"I know."

Imai gave the sheet of paper to Ozaki again, who picked up a lighter. The moment after, the paper was on fire.

"Just for sure." 

In the corner of the blind alley, Tai still huddled with the sleeping Matt in his arms, protected by the shadows. There was no doubt in Tai's mind that Matt's story was true now. His heart beat like if he had been running a marathon.

"Now, all we have to do is to find our dear boy. Search the area. He can't be very far away," Ozaki ordered and Tai saw how the flashlights' beams started to investigate the walls of the surrounding buildings.

He knew they were trapped. They wouldn't have anywhere to run if the two agents would find them, and Matt was still asleep. It would take miracle to make get them out of here in one piece. A miracle and two tons of luck. Panic rose inside of Tai and it got harder to breathe. Grasping Matt's body tighter, he waited for the right moment. 

Imai made his way further into the dead end and Tai kept as silent as possible. As the tall, muscular man examined something in the left corner, Tai drew a deep breath, the fear tearing in his stomach. Then he bolted up, still clutching Matt's slim frame, and dashed passed both Imai and Ozaki before they had the chance to do anything. 

Matt's eyes shot open just in time to see a bullet hit the bricks in the wall beside him. He was moving, fast, but not on his own. His first instincts were to get himself out of the grasp of the one holding him. He had no idea what was going on, and in one confused moment, he couldn't remember what had happened before at all, but then he noticed the familiar smell of someone he knew. Tai. 

_Tai?_

Another bullet hissed past them.

"We want the boy alive, idiot!" An angry voice, drenched with self-proclaimed authority, shouted. Matt's blood froze at the recognition of it. "Just catch him and we'll take care of the other one later," 

Running footsteps were heard behind them. Tai turned right and after few moments, they were out of the back streets, moving quickly towards the main street.

Tai's breathing was getting harder, and the agents were taking in on them. He had noticed that Matt had woken up, however, he didn't dare to put him down on the ground to run by himself. It would take way too much time, but the extra weight made him slower than he would have been if he had been alone. Yet, he pushed himself to the limit, forcing his legs to keep on moving and doing so faster and faster.

The traffic lights were the only source of light there was, except for what the moon and stars could provide, and neither cars nor people could be seen. No one saw the teenagers' flight from the two black-suited men. 

Ozaki yelled something to Imai, but Tai was too tired to make out what.

The adrenalin rush was beginning to wear off and he found himself gasping for air as he sprinted down the main street of Odaiba. He didn't have a clue where to run, but all he focused on was to get away from Ozaki and Imai. Soon, the river that ran right through the city, splitting it in two could be seen. Tai ran out on the massive bridge that went to the other side, ignoring he ache in his chest.

Maybe they would be safe if they made it across the bridge? There wasn't any other way to take in any case, so Tai pressed on. 

When had come halfway over, a car suddenly went by them, its black, shiny lacquer reflecting the streetlamps'. With a screech, it stopped, turning around 180 degrees so that it blocked the road for them. 

Tai stopped abruptly and Ozaki stepped out of the car, sneering at them.

Matt struggled a bit in Tai's arms and Tai let him down in the ground. Still panting hard, the brunette spun around, only to see Imai standing there, one of those odd guns pointed right at them.

Matt's lips were pressed together and his eyes were as hard as stone and he looked daggers at Ozaki. The man just kept on sneering at them, though, as he calmly picked up a gun of his own.

After a while, Matt broke the deafening silence.

"What do you want? Just let us go. At least Tai,"

"Tai," Ozaki repeated. "So that's his name." 

Then he started sniggering quietly. 

"Let you go?" 

The sniggering grew louder.  
"You must be joking! Let you go? Oh, my dear Yamato…"

Ozaki was actually laughing at him. Matt felt anger rise inside of him.

"What's so funny? Let us go, or I'll--"

"Or you'll what?" Ozaki's laughter had died quickly and was now replaced with a threatening face. Then his head was thrown to the side, as if someone smacked him across the cheek. 

"Fuck. You." Matt hissed, his fists clenched and his eyes glaring ice.

His mouth hanging open, Tai could only stare. He almost couldn't believe his eyes. What just happened? 

BANG

A gunshot snapped him out of his thoughts. 

"None of that shit, boy," Imai lowered the gun, once again pointing it at them. 

Matt turned back to Ozaki. The man rubbed his sore cheek, gritting his teeth. 

"You'll pay for that, Yamato Ishida," he said in a low menacing tone that sent shivers down Matt's spine, spitting out the words as if they were all too sour apples. 

He started to make his way in the direction of the two teens and Imai did the same on the other side of them. There was nowhere to run. 

Tai considered every possibility desperately, even though there weren't many of them.

_Tight spot my ass,_ he thought. _This is more like a 'choking-spot' or something_

They backed away from the two approaching agents until the finally bumped into the banister of the bridge. Matt turned his head, gazing down into the water there, deeply below them.  
_Maybe…?_

Matt glanced at Tai and their eyes locked. They both had the same thing in mind and grasping each other's hands, they swung themselves over the banister…

Sucking in a sharp lungful of air, the wind ruffled Matt's hair as if it wanted to tear it off and the seconds they were falling were like one year each. Their screams ripped through the night as jagged daggers, but they weren't aware of them. The only things that were swishing through their heads were the feeling of slight nausea and lights that swirled like firecrackers and sounds and alarms from nowhere that were shredding their thoughts in two. The flying, whirling, frightening and yet giddy sensation ended abruptly by the impact of the water.

They hit and split the surface with their feet first, never letting go of the other's hand. The river was freezing and it spun them around in fierce underwater steams until they didn't know what was up or down. Matt opened his eyes and could barely make out the blurry shape of Tai in front of him. He reached out his other hand to grab Tai's left one, not wanting the stream to separate them. Tai took the hand. Then the water made them gyrate and they had to tighten their hands. Matt wanted to scream, but instead squeezed his eyes shit and gritted his teeth. His lungs were on fire, needing oxygen, and that fast. It was like if a thousand needles pricked his skin and he started to loose feeling in it. At first his feet and hands, then the needles moved all over his body, making it numb with both cold and suffocation. Slowly, ever so slowly, the needles moved up his neck and made their way across his face. Every little muscle seemed to relax, just stop functioning, and he wondered where and how Tai was. That thought was the last thing he was aware of before the anaesthetized needle feeling settled in is mind as well, and he was out cold.

Whooosh… Whooosh…

The sound of waves reached Matt's ears. 

Whooosh… Whooosh…

Where was he?

Whooosh… Whooosh…

His mind being a cloudy haze, it was difficult to focus on anything and it was even harder to try to clear it. Someone held his hands… Who…? His head hurt when he tried to recall anything of what had happened. 

Matt moved his fingers feebly, and with that action, the feeling in his entire body started to come back; he was lying on the ground, in sand to be exact, and the water ruffled his hair as it was sucked back into the river, then pushed up on the shore another time. Just to and fro… To and fro… To and fro…

Whooosh… Whooosh…

_No! Don't fall asleep, _Matt ordered himself. Despite the drowsiness that was drenching his senses, he opened his eyes. It was still dark outside and he rolled over, but then got caught in a coughing fit. He couldn't stop it and he was still too weak to sit up.

The one holding his hands finally moved. He, or at least Matt thought it was a he, let go of Matt's hands and lifted him off the ground, patting his back harshly, helping him to cough out the water he had swallowed. 

Still gasping for air, Matt at length managed to relax. He noticed that he was shivering. 

Tai pushed away the damp, blond strands of hair that were plastered against Matt's face with gentle fingers. The smooth skin was cold as ice, as much as his own was. A chilly breeze swept by them and Tai wished that his clothes were dry and not as soaked as they were now. 

The black, fogged up sky almost didn't provide any luminosity whatsoever; all you could make out by sight was the water and the faraway lights of the city. Everything else was as dark as in a closed cave. 

Where were they? 

How far had the river taken them?

Tai shakily stood up, a bit too fast though and he ignored a wave of nausea. Matt was still sitting limply in the sand by his feet.

"My head hurts…" Matt whispered faintly. 

_He must have hit it or something_, Tai thought and bent down again, letting his hands fumble about in Matt's hair, searching for the bump that would surely be there if he had done so. When he didn't find one, the things Matt had told him before came back to him. Worry made his stomach turn. Did this have something to do with that?  
Matt groaned quietly as the world swam before his eyes.

"Spinning…"

"We can't stay here," Tai said, put his hands under Matt's arms and dragged him to his feet. Matt felt his guts go round and instantly fell to the ground again, supporting himself on his hands and trying to keep himself from gagging. Then his arms gave out and he lay there helplessly, panting for air.

"Sorry…" The word was merely just a breath, barely audible.

"Shh." Tai said. "I'll just go explore this place a little, okay? I'll be back in a second. Okay? Matt?"

"Okay", Matt replied at last.

Tai nodded, though he knew Matt wouldn't be able to see it in the dark of the night, and took some careful steps away from the water and the shore. 

Where were they? The river couldn't have brought them too far, could it? He hoped not.  
There was grass under his feet, he noticed.  
Why couldn't there be at least _some_ light here?

He still almost wasn't able to believe this was actually happening, that everything he touched actually was real and not part of some kind of stupid dream. What would happen now?   
There were so many questions… Did Matt feel the same? Or had he gotten so used to everything that he didn't even bother to think of it any longer?

A twig snapped under a foot somewhere in the darkness. 

Tai stopped abruptly. He was sure that had not been Matt.

His breathing immediately changed into a slower, tenser one. Small needles of fear stung inside of him and he stood completely still. The seconds passed by like stretched hours.

Quiet. Not a sound from anywhere. 

Tai reluctantly forced his muscles to relax somewhat. Maybe it was only imagination, he made himself think.   
He breathed out and began making his way back to the shore, but before he had even taken the second step, something –someone- threw themselves over him. The heavy, muscled body pinned him to the ground, easily locking his arms behind his back in a painful grip. The man, he was sure it was a man, pressed a knee into Tai's back. Then he was dragged off the ground. The grip around his arms hardened. Tai winced, and then the man's other hand grabbed his neck. Not by the windpipe, by the back of it, by the spine and the muscles about it. The hand compressed, and Tai's entire back clenched in an unnatural way at the horrible feeling. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. The man pulled him away with him, and Tai stumbled along the best he could.   
It _hurt_… But then-

-Matt.

The name popped up in his head, and in that moment, his concentration on the pain disappeared.  
Matt… he was still lying on the shore, he was all alone, he was still…

"Ozaki" The one that was holding him in such a rough way was definitely a man. That voice was too dark to have belonged to a female person. He once again compressed his hand, causing Tai to gasp and grimace. 

"You are not the only one who has caught a prey." Tai could almost see the sneer crooking Ozaki's lips. Anger welled up inside of him. Then the man that had "caught" him, was Imai without a doubt.

How could they have found them so easily?  
Ozaki lit a flashlight, pointing it directly in the eyes of Matt. His repulsive fingers slowly caressed his chin, tracing the outline of the under lip. Matt pressed his eyes closed tightly, trying to turn his face away, but Ozaki was holding it in a firm clasp. Tai wished he could get Ozaki away from the blonde.

"Look", Ozaki said in a mock tender tone. "Our own, little-" Ozaki didn't get to finish that sentence. His fingertips had gotten too close to Matt's mouth, and the boy had taken the chance at once. He had bitten them, and still hadn't let go with his sharp teeth. Ozaki screamed hoarsely, but Matt only clenched his jaw more, letting his teeth sink further into the flesh. The agent slammed the flashlight into the back of Matt's head. Tai watched with terror how the blue eyes widened for a split second, and then lost all expression.

Ozaki hissed, examining his fingers. Then he dragged the limp body of Matt up as he rose from the ground. Carrying Matt under one arm, he took the lead and began walking in the opposite direction Tai had gone when he had left Matt on the beach before.   
_Left Matt…_

Imai followed, jerking Tai with him.

A/N: Oki, that's all for now… What do you think? Good, bad? Please review!  


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